Column apparatus



y 13, 1952 c. B. SCHNEIBLE 2,596,106

COLUMN APPARATUS Filed Nov. 22, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEEI 1 y 1952 c. B. SCHNEIBLE 2,596,106

COLUMN APPARATUS Filed NOV. 22, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFKIE COLUMN APPARATUS Glend n.- Sobne Detroit, ch. Application November 22, 1947, Serial No. 787,535

fine'particles or atomized to create an intimate contact. The liqui ol me is. t ore re tricted by the atomizing ability ofthe gas or vapor.

At a low gas, (vapor) velocity, the atomization is not satisfactory, and at too high a velocity, the entrainment is too. reat. There is, therefore, a fixed elation et en the wei ht f th iq and the velocity of the gas orvapor.v

In apparatus where gases are caused to rotate Within the contact tower so as to thereby atomize the liquid, considerable difficulty is experienced in passing the liquid into lower portions of the apparatus without causing the same to be atomized. Further, it is desired to have such liquid by-passed into lower portions of the apparatus so that, in its passage downwardly through the y-pass z nes it s eff ctive for di ut ng the. body of liquid to prevent crystallization of acids, ,alkas lies, and for other reasons An object of the present invention is to pro.- vide apparatus in which liquid is fed to both sides of the, rotating annulus so. that the annulus, in eiiect, is between the liquid bYwPfiSfiQS andis e f.- fo tive fo p e i o ortions of, sn bb -ma se liquid as it passes successively through the bats lies of the apparatus.

ract ce shows. that. in many apl i at ohs,v t is desirable to circulate a greater quantity of liquid than the apparatus can atomize, and it, is one purpose of this invention to provide apparatus capable of; circulating such greater quantity of liquid. A further object is to provide appara tus in which liquid is brought into intimate contact with gases or vapor while at. the same time providing means for circulating liquid through the apparatus which is greater than the apparatus can atomize. A still further object {to provide means for passing an excess of liquid downwardly through the column in a quantity re e than e ppa atu oan atom zo whi e at the sa e. tim b ng n t e iquid at we spaced points at which the liquid is finally atom.- iz ed. Yet another object is to provide apparatus n wh h e amount of quid bypassed irom the atomization zones can be efieetively conlled or re u at dst ll fu her object, s to provide me ns he e y a body o q d i pr i eo in q antity di re t sta es oughout a column {or the purpose of diluting the liquid ein atom ze and i pr ve t ng y a at on o acids, hlkalie a d other materials Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the s es fioatioh o ee s- The invent on s i st ed, in a p ferr em.- o ou t acco pany n d g; in

Eigune l is a broken yertical sectional viewof ppa a us h w n the Dry-pass pa sin h rings of the bellies; Fig. a broken enlarged secoi t e struc re show in g- Fi 3. a v r ica s ctiona iew of a column u tur in which the by pass is centrally located with respect tothe plate of the baffles Fig. 4, a vertical seetional yievv of the structure embodying my present invention in which the by-pass passages extendboth through the ring and through the plate of the baiile structure; and Fig. 5, a sectional detail view showing means for regulating h how through t passages in t m in n th illustration given, to designates a casing providing an elongated vertical chamber. The casing in is provided at its bottom with a, conical out e p rtion H and w th. an o tl h An inlet pipe 13 for the incoming gases, vapors, or other medium, is provided, and the inlet isv preferably tangential to the Cylindrical body of the ca ing, a show m clearly in m P e t No- 2,,1;1 1, 7as, dated April 19, 1938.

The casing is also provided at the top with an outlet pipe M. A liquid pipe l5 introduces water or other liquid into the interior of the chamber.

Within the casing I0, I provide a number of bellies t6. Each of the baffies It comprises a ring ll, a plate 18, and vanes l9 extending between the i g ll and plate 18 all as shown in greater detail in my said Patent No. 2,114,786. The vanes l9 are inclined so that as the medium is drawn upwa y unde su i n t m dium s c used to form a rotating annulus. in the area around and abo ethe wanes. The descending water or other liquid is ordinarily broken intov fine particles c ntact wit t o t ng annu In the i lus ation given i gs 1 a d th ring I! is spaced from the casing 10 for large area s as to p o d ert ca passage 20 t ou h ch. l qu may p s dow wa d aro nd th rings ll. It will'be understood that any suitable me ns ,i r y pa sins l u d a o ndt vanes ma be empl yed. Leavin spao s a ou d th ring ll between the points at which it is welded to the casing I8, is highly satisfactory because in this manner the liquid, which is thrown against the wall Ill, tends to fall downwardly along the wall and to pass through the openings 20 without becoming atomized by the rising stream of gas or Vapor. If desired, the rings H, which are welded at points to the casing I0, may have any suitable by-pass openings therethrough. I prefer, however, to have such openings as near asv possible to the casing wall It) so that there will be less contact between the liquid flowing through such openings and the rising stream of medium.

In the structure in Fig. 3, the plate I8 is dished inwardly and downwardly, and at its center is provided with a downwardly-extending. conduit 2!. By this structure, a portion of the liquid discharged through pipe I is by-passed centrally of the plates so that the liquid is thus passed centrally of the rotating annulus.

Fig. 4 sets out the apparatus combining the structures shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, and thus incorporating the main idea of my invention herein. By the structure shown in Fig. 4, the liquid is by-passed not only centrally of the rotating annulus, but also laterally of the annulus. Thus, the annulus of gas is enclosed by the two by-pass streams of liquid.

In the structure shown in Fig. 4, means are provided for controlling the flow of liquid passing through the outlet pipe 2 I. In the illustration given, an insert or plug 22 is provided centrally, with a reduced opening 23 through which liquid passes into the pipe 2| therebelow. derstood that any number of such plugs having the desired size of outlet opening may be employed to regulate the flow of liquid through the central by-pass in any one or all of the plates.

In Fig. 5 is shown an insert 24, which is seemental in character and adapted to be received within the flow passages 20 of the rings II. The insert 24 has a reduced openingand thus diminishes the amount of liquid passing through the passage 29 in which the plug is inserted.

In the operation of the apparatus, and particularly in the combined form of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 4, liquid in the form of water,

oil, solvent, acid or alkali solutions, or any other treating liquid, is discharged through pipe I5 onto theplate I8 therebelow. A portion of the liquid flows over the edges of the plates I8, where it meets the rotating annulus of gas. A portion of the liquid also flows through the central by-pass pipe 2 I, thereby by-passing the rotating annulus of gas. Also, a portion of the liquid stream from pipe I5 is splashed outwardly uponthe walls of the column and travels down the walls and through the by-pass passages 20. Thus, there is a by-pass stream of liquid flowing along the walls of the column and thus escaping atomization, at least in the upper baflies, and there isalso a by pass stream of liquid passing through the central portionof the rotating mass of gas. I

If it is desired to restrict the flow of liquid through the central tube 2 I, an insert 22 may be placed therein entirely closing off the passage or merely partially closing off the passage. Similarly, the fiow of liquid through the passages may be closed oiT or diminished by inserting suitable plugs 24 therein; By this means, the flow through the central portions of the column and along the side walls thereof may be regulated to produce the desired results.

For the treatment of certain gases, vapors, or liquid, I have found it highly advantageous to provide the inner stream of by-pass liquid and the It will be unouter sheath of by-pass liquid so that the rotating gaseous body lies between, gradually peeling ofi portions of the by-pass liquid as the liquid passes successively through the bafiles. There is thus provided an excess of liquid for dilution purposes and also for atomization and contact in the lower portion of the apparatus, such liquid having escaped atomization in the upper portion of the apparatus. V

The operation shown in Figs. 1 and 2 represents the operation of the apparatus with the central openings of the plates either plugged or missing, while the structure in Fig. 3 represents such ap 'paratus with the by-pass openings in the rings either plugged or missing. Fig. 4 represents the combined operation forming a part Of this invention and in which the by-pass devices provide liquid streams on the inner and outer sides of the rotating column of gas.

In the foregoing operation, it will be understood that the inlet pipe I3 is connected to a conduit leading from a source of medium, and that the outlet pipe I4 is connected to a conduit leading to an exhaust blower, etc. If desired, however, the medium may be passed through the column by means of pressure rather than by suction. It will be understood that the drain outlet pipe I2 is connected to a conduit, which may be closed or which may lead to a separator or other container.

By the term gas or gases, as used herein and in the accompanying claims, I intend to employ the term in its broader meaning to include vapors as well as gases.

This application contains common subject matter 'with applications Serial Nos. 787,533 and 787,534, both filed on November 22, 1947.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth'specific structures in great detail for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for producing an intimate contact between liquids and gases wherein a gas is caused to move upwardly in a rotating spiral having a rarefied core to atomize a downwardly flowing liquid, a casing providing a chamber, vertically superposed bafiles spaced apart in said chamber, each baffle comprising arin and a plate thereabove with inclined vanes extending between said ring and plate, and means for discharging liquid onto the plate of an upper baffle, said liquid-receiving plate having a central opening adapted to discharge a. portion of said liquid onto the plate below through the rarefied core of said rotating gas spiral, the space between said central opening and the plate immediately therebelow being unobstructed, and the ring associated with said liquid-receiving plate having bypass openings therethrough, whereby portions of said liquid are by-passed downwardly on the inside and outside of said rotating gas without being atomized by said gas.

2. In apparatus for producing an intimate contact between liquids and gases wherein a gas is caused to move upwardly in a rotating spiral having a rarefied core to atomize a downwardly .fiowing liquid, a casing providing a chamber,

vertically superposed baffies spaced apart in said chamber, each bafile comprising a ring and a plate therebeneath with inclined vanes extending between said ring and plate, and means for discharging liquid onto the plate of an upper bafile, 'at least said liquid-receiving plate being dished inwardly and downwardly and having a central outlet pipe extending through the rarefied core of said rotating gas spiral and the ring associated with said liquid-receiving plate being provided adjacent its outer periphery with by pass openings, whereby portions of said liquid are by-passed downwardly on the inside and outside of said rotating gas without being atomized by said gas.

3. In apparatus for producing an intimate contact between liquids and gases wherein a gas is caused to move upwardly in a rotating spiral having a rarefied core to atomize a downwardly flowing liquid, a column having a gas inlet at one end portion and a gas outlet at the other, means for feeding liquid into the upper portion of the column, and baiiies in said column in spacedapart relation, said bafiies being equipped with vanes for rotating the gas passing therethrough, and said baffles having also a central by-pass opening in direct communication with the plate below through the rarefied core of said rotating gas spiral and peripheral by-lpass openings immediately adjacent the inner walls of said column adapted to permit streams of liquid to fiow downwardly along said inner walls past said baffies, whereby portions of said liquid are by-passed downwardly on the inside and outside of said rotating gas without being atomized by said gas.

4. In apparatus for producing an intimate contact between liquids and gases wherein a gas is caused to move upwardly in a rotating spiral having a rarefied core to atomize a downwardly flowing liquid, a column having a tangential gas inlet at one end portion and a gas outlet at the other, means for feeding liquid into the upper portion of the column, vertically superposed bafiles spaced apart in said column, each of said baffles comprising an upper plate having its periphery spaced from the walls of said column and a lower ring extending outwardly to the walls of said column with vanes between said ring and plate for producing a rotation of the gas passing upwardly through the column, and means for passing a gas through said inlet and for discharging the same through said outlet, at least some of said rings being provided with peripheral by-pass openings immediately adjacent to the walls of said column direct communication adapted to permit streams of liquid to flow downwardly along the inner walls of said casin past said rings, and at least some of said plates being provided with a central by-pass opening in with the plate below through the rarefied core of said rotating gas spiral, the spaces between said central by-pass opening and plate immediately therebelow being unobstructed, whereby portions of said liquid are by-passed downwardly on the inside and outside of said rotating gas without being atomized by said gas.

5. In apparatus for producing an intimate contact between liquids and gases wherein a gas is caused to move upwardly in a rotating spiral having a rarefied core to atomize a downwardly flowin liquid, a casing providing a chamber, battles spaced apart in said chamber and comprising rings and plates with inclined vanes extending therebetween, said plates being dished inwardly and downwardly and having a central outlet .pipe extending through the rarefied core of said rotating gas spiral, said plates also having their outer edges suffioiently close to said casing to produce a liquid overflow on said casing, and said rings bein provided adjacent their outer periphery with .by-pass openings therethrough, whereby portions of said liquid are bypassed downwardly on the inside and outside of said rotating gas without being atomized by said gas.

CLAUDE B. SCHNEIBLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Weits et al. Oct. 8, 1946 

